23
3.7 AN INTRODUCTION TO COLOR
RED
GR
EEN
BLU
E
CY
AN
MAG
EN
TA
YELLO
W
Click the close button to close the palette and apply
any changes.
The difference between the samples can be changed. Drag the correction-step slider, or enter a
value into the text box to set the degree of correction between the samples. The initial setting is
10.
Checking the display-limit check box indicates with
the complementary color when any of the image
values exceed 0 (black limit) or 255 (white limit). For
example, if the yellow
channel exceeds those
values, the area is
displayed in blue.
In photography, red, green, and blue are the
primary colors. The secondary colors, cyan,
magenta, and yellow, are made from
combining the primary colors: cyan = blue +
green, magenta = blue + red, and yellow = red
+ green. The primary and secondary colors
are grouped in complementary pairs: red and
cyan, green and magenta, and blue and
yellow.
Knowing the complementary colors is very
important in color balancing. If the image has
a specific color cast, either subtracting the
color or adding its complementary color
creates a natural looking image. For example,
if the image is too red, decrease the amount
of red; if the image is too yellow, increase the
amount of blue.
Adding or subtracting equal parts of red,
green, and blue has no affect on the color balance. However, it can change the overall image
brightness and contrast. Usually, no more than two color channels are needed to color balance an
image.
Color balancing is a skill that develops with practice. While the human eye is extremely sensitive in
making comparative judgements, it is a poor tool when making absolute measurements of color.
Initially, it can be very difficult to distinguish between blue and cyan, and red and magenta.
However, adjusting the wrong color channel never improves an image; subtracting blue from an
image that is too cyan creates a green cast.
Summary of Contents for DiMAGE Master Lite
Page 1: ...INSTRUCTION MANUAL ...
